Unlocking Your Potential

I believe he’s right. Over the years, the writers I’ve seen succeed weren’t the most talented. They were the ones who refused to give up.

Plugging Away

I pondered that principle last month during NaNoWriMo when I was sick or gone or being interrupted. I also watched the 38 people in my NaNo Challenge Group plugging away through much tougher challenges than I had.

Samuel Johnson said,“Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.” In a like vein, Helen Keller (one of the most determined people you’ll ever read about) said,“We can do anything we want to as long as we stick to it long enough.”

That’s good news to me! Is it to you?

It’s Your Choice

We may not be the most talented writers. We may not be the most clever or well read. We may not have an MFA in writing or be able to afford expensive writing conferences. BUT we can each choose to persevere, to stick to it till we finish.

Know where you want to go, and map out a clear strategy on how you plan to get there. Team up with writing friends and encourage each other. There are many ways to study and grow, ranging from free online courses and books to expensive MFA programs at prestigious colleges.

But in any case, the only person with an advantage is the one who refuses to quit. Is that YOU?

2 Responses to Unlocking Your Potential

Yeah for perseverance. I think I’ll change my word for 2014 from momentum to perseverance. I can’t gain momentum if I don’t have perseverance.

I’m rereading an old book called Time Management For the Creative Person by Lee Silber. I had forgotten how many good ideas the author has for learning perseverance that will lead to momentum. I probably already know about most of the ideas Mr. Silber relates but don’t put them into practice regularly. Perseverance is just such darn hard work.